A Canadian family living in Massachusetts has been stranded for weeks after being denied re-entry into the US following a short ski trip to Quebec.Michael Freese, his wife Cynthya and their three young children traveled to Canada in March in hopes of returning to a routine home on Martha’s Vineyard. Instead, they are stuck in Ottawa, living at a rented property in Kanata after US border officials refused to allow them back into the country.Freeze told the Daily Mail that he was twice refused by US Border Patrol officers when attempting to renew his TN visa, a permit that allows some Canadian and Mexican professionals to work in the United States under the USMCA trade agreement.The visa is typically issued for up to three years and can be renewed, but applicants must leave the US before its expiration and reapply at the border. Sanction is at the discretion of the officer reviewing the case.Freeze works as a management consultant for a company that builds luxury homes. He said officials questioned whether his job still met the eligibility criteria.Freeze said: “In the past, they were a little more liberal on the qualifications for those (job) categories. Just think they’ve become less liberal.”He first attempted to re-enter the US through a border crossing in Quebec, but was refused citing that his role did not qualify under the TN visa category. He tried again the next day at a checkpoint in Ontario with updated documents, but was once again denied entry.“Three years ago when I got my visa, I think they said, ‘This is a guy who is doing honest work and trying to grow the economy,'” Freeze said. He said: “Now that has changed, and although it’s disappointing to me…I don’t think CBP did anything wrong. They’re just trying to do their job.”Freese believes this decision may also be related to additional responsibilities in his role that go beyond strict management consulting. He said an official mentioned that the list of eligible businesses was recently updated.The family traveled to Canada partly because Freeze needed to take their passports with them for the renewal process. He combined this requirement with a short vacation.Freeze has lived in the United States for seven years. After graduating from Brigham Young University–Idaho, he initially went on a temporary visa before securing a three-year TN visa, which he expected to renew without difficulty.Now separated from his home and job in Edgartown, he is exploring legal options to return. Also, they have started applying for new roles that fit more clearly into the TN visa guidelines.According to US State Department data, more than 15,000 TN visas were issued to professionals from Canada and Mexico in 2024.